Hello Rotorheaders
I'm new at this - trust it works OK! I've used low res jpegs to save d'load time.
Imfolozi Black Rhino Capture - Wilderness Area Heli Uplift
Here are a few pics I took during a helicopter uplift of Black Rhino from the Wilderness area of Imfolozi Game Reserve in Zululand,
South Africa.
Because no vehicles, roads or any other infrastructure are allowed in Wilderness areas, the only practical means of removing the rhino is slinging them out by helicopter. In this case a Puma helicopter run by Starlite and flown by former SAAF pilot Ed Brown was used.
A brief overview of the whole operation:
A C182 fixed wing is used as a spotter to initially to find the rhino in the 65 000 acres of savannah thornveld etc.
As soon as the rhino is identified and the location confirmed, an MD500D follows out, flown by Vere van Heerden. A rhino capture
officer darts the rhino from the air after a section ranger has confirmed that the rhino is suitable for capture.
Once the rhino is immobilised and stablised the Puma brings in a 9-man ground capture team who prepare the rhino for loading
onto the net for slinging out.
I can post more pics and info regarding these capture operations if anyone is interested, as well as pics from a more recent
capture using the MIL-8.
Slinging the Black Rhino across the White Imfolozi river, on way to Mpila ...
Flight engineer Mark Bartholomew ('Spiderman'), pattering the pilots through taking up the tension and raising the sedated
rhino now lying in the net on the ground below ...
For interest's sake ... sedated rhino in a tricky position in a dry stream bed ... capture team preparing to move it to net to be
lifted out ...
Preparing to lower the rhino onto the soccer field at Mpila, where it will eventually be loaded into a crate and transported by
vehicle to the rhino capture centre ...
Rhino just been off loaded at Mpila and separator frame and net being carefully moved away from rhino before Puma returns to
Wilderness to fetch ground capture teams ...
More later ... Blue Skies!
